Costa Dorada tourist information

The colour of gold - soft, warm and bright - is predominant along the marine littoral in the southern part of Catalonia and has rightly given it the name of Costa Dorada (Golden Coast). The golden hue acquired by the fine sands of its beaches is due to their facing southeast as well as the intensity of the suns rays.

The situation of the beaches, open to the sun, provides them with the maximum amount of sunlight throughout the day during each of the seasons of the year. Add to this the protection offered by the nearby mountain range just off the coast and a benign and stable climate is assured all year round.

The beaches are huge, with abundant fine sand sinking into the sea in a soft slope, allowing ample areas for safely going into the water. These type of beaches, along with the numerous apartments for rent, make the Costa Dorada a choice area for family holidays, very appropriate for children and elderly persons and suited to those seeking peace and quiet.

The 20 towns that make up the Costa Dorada cover a marine littoral 216 kilometres long, 786 hectares of spacious beaches with clean fine sand and transparent shallow water. In between the sea and the mountain range there are wide areas filled with peaceful towns and farmlands, where vineyards, olive groves, carobs, hazel trees and almond trees grow, and occasionally even vegetable gardens. The whole area, between; hotels, camping sites and apartments, has capacity for over 500,000 tourists, and receives an average 3,500,000 visitors per year.

The large tourist centres along the beaches of the Costa Dorada have developed in recent times upon the old fishermans quarters in old towns mainly dedicated to agriculture, and sometimes located atop the hills near the sea in order to protect themselves from attacks by corsairs and pirates in earlier centuries.

The proximity of these towns, many of them built around the silhouette of an ancient castle, contributes to balancing and humanising the surroundings, and increases the possibilities of amusement and the use of all sorts of complimentary services for tourists.

This bucolic atmosphere contrasts with the urban dimension of the historical city of Tarragona, which deploys its splendid monumental collection that summarises it millenary cultural evolution.

Inland one can easily reach places and towns with a great personality and historical interest (such as Reus, Valls, Montblanc, Tortosa) and great medieval monasteries: Poble, Santes Creus and Scala Dei, as well as picturesque landscapes (Prades, Siurana), rugged mountain ranges with big game reserves (Tivissa, Cardo and Ports de Tortosa), and the unique delta of the Ebro river, with its labyrinth of ditches and lagoons and the facilities it offers for wild fowl hunting.

The Costa Dorada and the areas nearby, due to their harmonious collection of attractive assets (enriched by their singular traditional cuisine and excellent wines) offer an infinite number of possibilities year round.

Several areas with common features can be distinguished along the Costa Dorada. First of all there is the northern area, from Cunit to Mont-roig, with the widest beaches of all; then Vandellos, LAmetlla de Mar and LAmpolla, with narrower, steeper beaches, influenced by the nearby mountains; the Ebro delta, with long wide beaches and very fine sand typical of alluvial lands; and finally, from the delta to Les Cases dAlcanar, long beaches of average width and clean heavy sand.

Eastern Costa Dorada (or Northern Part)

The journey begins at the eastern tip of the Costa Dorada, in the district of Baix Penedes, an area with wide beaches, fine, soft sand, and calm, shallow water. In the first section, on the eastern limit of the province, we reach Cunit (population 1,217). Because of its large (2.5km) sunny beach, this little seaside town is slowly becoming an interesting and fully developed tourist centre. It lacks other particular attractions (with the exception of its 12th century Romanesque church, used as the sacristy of the parish church) besides the usual services for sea and sun worshippers. There are neither stones nor algae.

Following this magnificent beach is its prolongation in Calafell (pop. 5,842), a town whose original nucleus is on a little hill between the mountain range and the sea, overlooked by the ruins of an ancient castle. The town traditionally split up its activities between agriculture and fishing. The small fishermans quarters have been the centre of the important tourist development that has made the very large beaches of Calafell (3 km) and Segur de Calafell (1.5 km) the flourishing places they are today. There are plentiful facilities for fishing and practising marine sports.

A few kilometres from here we can visit an inland town, El Vendrell (pop 11,921), which is one of the important crossroads in the area. It is an urban centre typical of this part of Catalonia. It merits an attentive visit thanks to its abundant monuments (18th century church crowned by the Angel) and historical remains, popular festivities especially its groups of "castellers" human castles or towers several stories high) and its noteworthy economic and cultural livelihood. We must mention the house museum of Pau (Pablo) Casals, the famous cellist born in this town. The busy beaches of Sant Salvador (almost 2 km of fine sands) and El Francas belong to this town. Tourism facilities are relatively new, developed over the past few years.

Inland, belonging to the town of Albinyana, is "Rioleon Safari" an exotic reserve of African wildlife adapted to the climate, and "Aqualandia", and amusement water park.

Entering the district of Tarragones we come upon Roda de Bera, a town located at the foot of El Quadrell mountain range, with 1,383 inhabitants, and offering a long and spacious sandy beach. From the small summer resort it was at the beginning of the century it has recently grown to become a busy tourist centre. A singular attraction is the Arc de Bera, a 2nd Century AD Roman victory arch edified upon what was the via Augusta in this province of the empire.

Next to Bera is the little village of Creixell, set before the mountain of La Mola and built around the ancient castle of Creixell. Its old fishermans quarter, known as Les Botigues de Mar, opens up to an ample 2 kilometre beach, a prolongation of the beach of Torredembarra. An interesting tourism and summer holiday nucleus has grown here. The beach is beautiful and calm, with clear, shallow waters.

Torredembarra is a seaside town with 5,844 inhabitants and year round activity: fishing, commerce, farming, etc. It enjoys the benign climate conferred by the Mediterranean Sea during the entire year. It has a wide beach of fine sand with a soft slope and a length of 7 kilometres, beautiful cliffs and a seaside quarter, La Marina de Torredembarra, with a strong and typical flavour. The outline of the town is dominated by the 16th century Castle Palace and it conserves remains of a Roman town (Partida del Moro), two 15th century porticos, and an 18th century Baroque organ in the archpriests church.

Altafulla (pop. 1,417) is a town enjoying a moderate tourist development with numerous second homes used during holidays and weekends. The towns appeal, aside from the beach and the medieval walled old quarter, is based on several findings of interesting roman ruins, which will be among the most important in Catalonia once they are completely excavated. They belong to the Roman village of Els Munts, within Altafulla and located on a hill softly inclined towards the sea. It is a great country house that was inhabited between the 1st and 5th centuries A.D. the noble rooms were decorated with mosaiques and marble and it had three thermae.

We now reach the splendid millenary city of Tarragona (pop. 109,557). It presides, due to its importance and beauty, over the entire area of the Costa Dorada. It was the origin of the Romanisation of the Iberian Peninsula and afterwards of its Christianisation. It boasts a unique Roman and medieval monumental collection. The Gothic Cathedral, the Roman walls and towers - with cyclopean bases - and other historical buildings and remains can be visited following the exceptional Paseo Arqueologico (Archaeological Avenue), atop which one can overlook a magnificent panorama of the interior district.

There are plenty and excellent beaches: El Miracle (under the mirador of Rambla Nova, known as the "Balcony of the Mediterranean"), La Arrabassada (2 km away), La Savinosa and Playa Llarga (a huge beach, one of the best on the Catalonian coast).

Leaving Tarragona, at a distance of 10 kilometres, we reach Salou. It is the most important and well-known holiday resort on the Costa Dorada (pop. 18,494) thanks to its magnificent natural conditions and the tourist development it has undergone. Many and various modern tourist facilities, along with the splendid walk by the sea, with large, sunny beaches and nearby coves and seaside hideouts surrounded by pine trees and brush, add up its exceptional appeal.

Leaving the district of Tarragones and entering the district of Baix Camp we arrive at Cambrils, a typical seaside town (pop. 13,907) with an important fishing fleet and an active port. The place conserves the traditional air of a fishermans village, and is famous for its restaurants, with high quality gastronomical delights, especially seafood. It is home to an International Music Festival in summer, many festivities and celebrations during the year and the Agricultural Utilities Fair. The arrival of boats and sale of fish in public auction at 5pm. Monday through Friday is a picturesque sight.

The town of Mont-roig del Camp (pop. 4,727) is a mountainous on its western side and the rest stretches out along a plain to the sandy beaches and the sea. Traditionally a farmers town, it has witnessed the rise of tourism thanks to the beauty of its over 12 kilometres of beaches with clean sand and the coves of Miami Platja. There are twenty urbanisations with country houses, apartments, hotels and camping areas. The main monuments are the Portal (portico) de la Canal (11th century), the Portal on the Calle Mayor (12th century), the Old church, the 16th century cultural house, the New church built in the 19th century and the Ermita de Nuestra Señora de la Roca (Hermitage of Our Lady of the Rock), renowned for its mirador. Every year the festivities of the August Fair are held, as well as cultural weeks, concerts, trobadas de gegants (gathering of giants), sardanas (a typical Catalonian dance), and there is a summer school for arts and crafts. Mont-roig boasts the famous painter Joan Miro as its favourite son, who lived in the town when young, and whose paintings made Mont-roig famous, among them "La Masia", "Mont-roig 1919" and "La Casa de la Palmera" (The House with the Palm Tree).

Western Costa Dorada (or Southern Part)

This area features beaches with heavy alluvial sand and clear shallow waters and includes the districts of Baix Camp, Baix Ebre and Montsia.

The first important village is LHospitalet de lInfant, belonging to the town of Vandellos (total pop. 4,340). it developed around an ancient 14th century hospice for travellers, of which there are interesting remains. It is equipped to receive tourists, and has a 700m beach and fishing facilities.

LAlmadrava is another beach with tourist facilities. Its name comes from the former use of an almadraba, a huge complex collection of nets for the large-scale capture of schools of migratory fish.

Entering the Baix Ebre district we reach LAmetlla de Mar. This town has a central nucleus built on the side of a small hill facing the sea. its inhabitants (pop. 4,305) established there in the early 19th century, taking advantage of the small fishing port. Around this typical pretty harbour, surrounded by beautiful coves (especially El Forn and Sant Roc), an attractive tourist centre is developing. The beaches have fine sand and heavy alluvial sand, with nice, clean waters. there are interesting monuments (Castle of San Jordi dAlfama, Torre de lAliga) and popular festivities.

LAmpolla is located north of the Ebro delta and even includes a part of it. The northern part, El Perello, is rough and mountainous, and the coast looks out upon the bay of LAmpolla, a fishing town which holds all of the tourist facilities among these two towns.

In the district of Montsia we find Sant Carles de la Rapita, an important farming and fishing town, famous for its plentiful seafood, especially prawns, which contribute to the excellence of its cuisine. It is located on the southern side of the Ebro delta, by the bay of Els Alfacs, the largest natural port in Europe, and a scenario which adds to its beauty the possibility of practising a great variety of water sports. Sant Carles de la Rapita has the image of a fishing town that has blended typical flavour with a moderate tourist development. it has a modern hotel industry and first rate trade and sports facilities.

On the southern tip of Tarragonas marine littoral, within the so called Costa de lEbre, is Les Cases dAlcanar, a small typical seaside village. It belongs to the town of Alcanar, which covers approximately 12 kilometres of coastline, where one can find several peaceful beaches (such as Marjal) and many hotels, restaurants and camping sites. A splendid sun and mild temperatures year round make Les Cases dAlcanar the ideal place for a pleasant and unforgettable holiday.